A Very Grumpy Firefighter (Wolf Valley: Grumps #5)

Chapter 6

SIX

Milo

I’m parked outside, watching Lilou close up through the front windows. I spent the day packing up my house, which was easy since I didn’t really have much. I stopped by with lunch and grabbed Lilou’s keys then so I could get moved into her place.

And now I’m waiting to pick my fiancé up and head home. It’s late, and I wonder if she’s eaten anything for dinner. Maybe I should offer to pick up some food on the way home.

I smile every time I think about heading home with my girl.

Speaking of Lilou…

I watch as she gets her things and turns off the lights. When she heads up front to lock the door, I hop out and head around to open her door for her.

“Hey,” she says, seeming surprised to see me.

“Hey. I thought I’d drive you home,” I explain, and she nods and heads my way.

I hold her door open for her, then close it and head back around to the driver’s side. I climb behind the wheel and start the truck, backing out of my spot and turning to head to her apartment.

We drive in silence for a minute, and I take a deep breath, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent.

I want to hold her hand.

You’re already pushing things. Don’t scare her off now! Not when you’re finally making some headway with her, I warn myself.

I peek a glance at Lilou sitting in the passenger seat. She looks so perfect there, and I smile as I turn onto her street.

Our street, I correct myself.

“We’ll have to get you a car soon. Or we can find a bigger place in town if you like living closer to everything,” I tell her as I pull into my driveway.

“Yeah, I like being able to walk to work. I’ve never really liked driving,” she says softly.

“Okay, we can look for a place tomorrow.”

“Are you sure that you want to move in?” She asks me, and I frown.

“Yes. Why?”

“It’s pretty small,” she warns me, and I shrug.

She gives me a small smile, and I return it.

“Are you hungry?” I ask.

“No, I had a smoothie and a panini on my lunch break.”

I nod and continue towards her apartment. I can’t help but sneak looks at her from the corner of my eye. Lilou is sitting in the passenger seat, her pretty face illuminated by the glow of her phone.

“Do you want a big wedding?” I ask her, and she blinks.

“Um, I don’t think so. I don’t really have that many friends or family to invite,” she says, and I can see when the grief hits her.

Tears well up in her eyes, and I pull over to the side of the road and unbuckle. Then I’m reaching for her and dragging her across the seat and into my lap.

“I’m sorry,” she sobs. “I’m just so scared about my grandpa.”

“I know, baby. I?—”

“Don’t call me that!” She snaps, annoyance and pain swirling in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be snapping at you. My mom just calls me that, and I’ve always hated it.”

“No worries. I won’t call you that again.”

I want to ask her more about her mom, but I can see that now is not the right time for that, so I file it away for later.

Lilou is swiping at the tears still spilling onto her cheeks, and I rub her back soothingly.

“Do you want to talk about him?” I ask her after a moment, and she takes a shuddering breath.

“He’s the only family I’ve ever really had. My mom and I, we’ve never been close. She was always more preoccupied with her latest boyfriend than with raising me. I think that my grandpa always tried to make up for that. I’d spend my summers with him in Southern California, and he always had some grand adventure planned for us.”

“He sounds like an amazing man.”

“He is,” she swallows, and more tears spill onto her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Lilou.”

She nods and buries her face in my chest as she starts to sob again. I hold her, rubbing her back and holding her close.

I feel way out of my depth here. I’ve never been great with words or people, and certainly not with comforting people. With Lilou, I want to be, though. I want her to come to me for everything that she needs.

I’m not sure how long we sit together like that before Lilou’s breathing evens out and I realize that she’s cried herself to sleep. We’re close to her apartment, and I shift into drive, holding her close as we drive the last half mile and park outside of her building.

Lilou is still fast asleep, so I grab her purse and things. Then I lift her into my arms and climb out of my truck. Her place is right above the hardware store, and I make the climb, juggling her in my arms slightly so that I can fit the key into the lock. I kick the door open and carry my girl back to her bedroom. The bed is small, full-size, I’m guessing. I set her down in the middle.

By the time I’ve gone back to close the door and lock up the apartment, I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day, and I want nothing more than to cuddle in bed with my girl. I pause at the entrance of her bedroom.

Would she want me to sleep with her? She wanted to take things slow…

I sigh and turn back to the couch. With a groan, I make my way over to the loveseat and do my best to fit my large frame on the small cushions.

I look around her place, taking in all of the plants and little mementos in the living room and kitchen. Her place is clean and feels warm and cozy. Plants line the windowsill, with more on the kitchen counter and bookcase.

I shift on the couch, trying to get comfortable, but that seems impossible. I’m just too big for her little couch.

I sigh as I shift once again. It’s going to be a long night, but it will be worth it. Lilou is about to be my wife, and I’m not going to do anything to mess that up.

Lilou is fast asleep, so I grab my phone and dial Luca’s number.

“I’m going to get married,” I tell my brother as soon as he answers my call.

“Congratulations?”

“Thanks.”

“I’m assuming it’s to Lilou?”

“Yeah.”

“How did you break the news that it was you who bought her?” He asks.

“I didn’t. It was emailed to her.”

“How did she take the news?”

“She seems okay with it.”

“How romantic,” he deadpans.

“It’s not like that. I’m not really going to marry her. Not right now, anyway. She’s going through a lot, and when we do get married, I want it to be the happiest moment of her life. Not one overshadowed by sadness.”

“So, what’s the plan then?”

“She needs help right now, and I know that she won’t let me. She’s been keeping me at arm’s length since I met her. I just…I can tell that she needs someone right now. She’s working like crazy, agreeing to shifts when she needs a break. She needs someone to look after her.”

“And that’s you.”

“That’s all I want to do. She’s meant to be mine, Luca. I couldn’t live with myself if I let her go through all of this alone.”

“So, I’m not going to miss a wedding while I’m over here then?”

“Not anytime soon. We’re just engaged right now. Kind of. I haven’t given her the ring I bought for her yet.”

“When the hell did you buy a ring?”

“About nine months ago.”

“Jesus. You sure do commit to things,” he mumbles, and I grin.

“Nah, just to Lilou. She’s perfect. You’re going to love her.”

“Well, I might be meeting her soon.”

“What?” I ask, sitting up straight. “You’re coming home?”

“Yeah. For good.”

“Are you getting out?”

“I think so. I hurt my back a few days ago. Doctors think I might have to be medically discharged.”

“Hurt your back, how?” I ask him.

“I got shot.”

“What!? Shot?”

“Yeah,” he says casually, and I check on Lilou to make sure that my outburst didn’t wake her up.

“Why would you phrase it like that?”

“I didn’t want to freak you out,” he says, and I roll my eyes.

“You’re terrible at delivering news.”

“You started this phone call by announcing that you might be getting married soon,” he reminds me.

“Alright, maybe it’s a family trait.”

He laughs, and I hear him suck in a sharp breath like he’s in pain.

“How bad is it?” I ask him seriously.

“Pretty bad. Fragments from the bullet hit a nerve. I’m going to be in rehab for a bit, but they don’t seem confident that I’ll ever be back to one hundred percent. They’re getting the discharge paperwork ready for me.”

“Shit, Luca. I’m sorry. I know how much you love the Rangers.”

“Yeah, it sucks, but at least I’m still alive. I’ll be around to see you get married. Whenever that ends up happening.”

“Do you need me to come there? I can take time off work,” I offer.

“No, I’m fine. I’ll be back stateside soon.”

“You can come stay with me. I moved in with Lilou, so my place is available.”

“I might take you up on that.”

“Just let me know.”

“I will. I’ve got to go. The doctor is coming back in.”

“Alright, talk to you soon. Keep me updated.”

“Will do.”

We end the call, and I lean back against the couch.

“Fuck.”

So much has been happening lately, and it’s hard to process everything. I’m excited that my brother might be moving out here, but worried about what he’s been through and what his treatment for the next few months or longer might be.

The bedroom door opens and I look over as Lilou walks my way.

“Hey,” she greets me.

“Hey. How was your nap?” I ask her as I push to my feet.

“Good. Sorry for passing out on you like that,” she says with a sigh as she sits down on the couch, and I sit back down next to her.

She turns to me and frowns when she sees my face.

“What’s wrong?”

“What?”

“You look sad or something,” she says. “Did something happen?”

“Oh, I was just talking to my brother.”

“You just have the one?” She asks, and I nod.

“Yeah. Luca.”

“He’s in the military, right?”

“Yeah, though he might be getting out.”

She nods, and I take a deep breath.

“He was shot,” I blurt, and her eyes widen in shock.

“Oh my gosh! Is he alright? Do you need to go be with him?”

“He’s okay. He’s deployed, so he’s in the hospital over there.”

She nods, looking worried, and I reach out and pull her into my arms. She wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head on my chest.

“I guess it just threw me off. I talked to him a few days ago, and he seemed fine. I think it just hit me that I almost lost him,” I say softly.

She squeezes her arms around me tighter, and I take a deep breath, breathing in her calming lavender scent.

“I know what that’s like,” she whispers.

I squeeze her to my side, and she snuggles closer to me.

“He’ll be okay,” she reassures me, and I nod against the top of her head.

“Yeah. He might move out here. It would be nice to be closer to him and not just see him like once a year.”

“I’d like to meet him.”

“He’s going to love you.”

“You’ve told him about me?” She asks, sounding surprised.

“Yeah, he’s heard all about you.”

She ducks her head into my chest, and I can tell without looking that she’s blushing right now.

We stay wrapped around each other for a few moments, and then she pulls back.

“Are you hungry? I can make something, or we can order takeout.”

“What do you want to do? What are you hungry for?” I ask her.

“A burger,” she says, sighing almost dreamily, and I grin.

“Burgers it is. You want yours medium and with everything except onions, right?” I ask as I pull out my phone to place our order.

“Uh, yeah.”

“You want a milkshake or a coke?”

“How do you know my order?” She asks, and I look up at her.

“I know a lot about you.”

“How?”

“I pay attention.”

“What else do you know about me?” She asks, and I have a moment of doubt.

Am I about to scare her off? Am I coming on too strong?

“I know that you love plants and to read, especially romance books. I know that your favorite color is purple, you love Christmas, hate anything peach flavored, and you love sweets, especially sour gummy worms. I know that you love your grandpa and that your mom sucks. That you’re scared. I know that you’ve been alone for a while, and I think that you’re getting sick of it. You want what your friends have. You want someone who loves you.”

And that someone is me.

I keep that last part to myself because I can see that I’ve thrown her off. Lilou is staring at me wide-eyed, and I smile, reaching out and squeezing her hand.

“You like people watching? I used to do it all of the time when I was younger,” she says with a smile.

I want to growl. I’m pouring my heart out to her, and she’s still being oblivious. I want to shake her and scream that I love her, but I know that I can’t.

That’s okay. She’s mine now. I’ve got time to get through to her and show her that we’re meant to be.

We sit back against the couch cushions as we wait for the food to be delivered, and I take a deep breath.

I’ll get through to her.

Soon.